Today, Qantas revealed its next-generation Premium Economy seat, which will debut on the airline’s brand new fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners that start flying in October 2017. In comparison to Qantas’ other Premium Economy seats, these new seats are wider and offer more functional space overall. The new seat also has a unique recline motion that provides a…
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TheDesignAir was just given the opportunity to try out the new Qantas VR App, currently available on the Google Play and Apple App stores. The new app allows consumers to instantly transport themselves to Australia and explore a wide range of different environments in full virtual reality. This relatively new app for Qantas echoes the…
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Qantas today revealed a new livery and brand image for the carrier. This is only the fifth time the iconic red-and-white ‘Roo’ tail of Qantas aircraft has been updated since it was first introduced in 1944. The last update was actually more recent than you might realise, as it was tweaked with the introduction of the Airbus A380 back…
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The first of a wave of new facilities for Qantas passengers travelling from Brisbane, Australia will now open October 20th 2016. The striking new lounge is another well-crafted designer space that follows the updated airside aesthetic that has been rolled out across Qantas’ network of lounges globally over the past couple of years. The Brisbane International Lounge is based on…
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KLM It may have happened a few weeks ago, but if you missed it, KLM recently revealed their “Orange Pride” aircraft. On one special 777-300ER, the well-known KLM Blue was replaced on half of the fuselage with the nations orange colour. The keel line running along the fuselage has also been adapted to reflect the nations…
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Qantas today announced it is starting construction on its new Brisbane lounge in a few weeks in a bid to “redefine the travel experience.” It follows hot on the heels of the airline’s development of their award-winning Hong Kong and Singapore Lounges. The airline has opted to combine the two current lounges (First and Business) into…
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Qantas today revealed their latest uniform, this time for their pilots. Stepping back in time, designer Martin Grant has resurrected the Naval inspired white pilots cap, making the uniform not only striking, but iconic. The uniform replaces the 13 year old uniform from Peter Morrissey but maintains the single breasted jacket, with a more fitted…
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London seems to be gaining a lot of new lounges this year, with OneWorld carriers Cathay Pacific and Qantas both giving a facelift to their ground operations. The Australia carrier announced last week that the next location for its flagship global lounge will be at Heathrow airport with construction to begin in September 2016. While T3 in…
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2015 has been an impressive year with many carriers taking advantage of the lowered oil prices to invest heavily into their passenger experience both on the ground and in the air. We take a look at the best carriers around the world that have caught our attention this year. We offer a retrospective of the…
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Qantas may be 95 years old, but their latest models to grace the catwalk don’t look like they’ve aged in years. Qantas, as a pure bit of fun managed to showcase the historical uniforms of Qantas through the ages. The unique and slightly quirky pop-up exhibition at its Sydney Qantas Club featuring a collection of 44 Barbie and…
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Domestic travellers from Perth can rejoice. Qantas has opened its doors to domestic passengers travelling from Western Australia with a brand new Qantas Domestic Business Lounge. Following the carriers latest design aesthetic, this bright and airy lounge offers 50% more lounge space than its predecessor. Seating 350 passengers, the spacious lounge is split into different…
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It has been a busy year for Business Class, with a staggering array of new products being launched as carriers fight for their most lucrative passenger base. Our list contains some surprises, with familiar names falling off and lesser-known carriers appearing. Generally speaking, the products scored lower this year, possibly because consumers’ expectations are rising. The judges looked, as always, at hard and soft product first— but the very highest…
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It’s a big announcement for Oneworld today. Qantas and American Airlines have just announced a significant expansion of their longstanding relationship, which will see the US carrier fly from Los Angeles to Sydney for the first time and Qantas return to San Francisco. Qantas will return to the Sydney-San Francisco route – currently the most…
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Those of you who have flown on Qantas, may be familiar with their fairly hefty inflight magazine Australian Way. Whilst this may be a meaty enough read for most of their domestic flights, what if you have to Kangaroo hop your way to The States or Europe? Well, now there is good news. If you…
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This month we celebrate all things fashion. Our Top 10 airline uniforms for 2015 are a real feast for the eyes. This is one category where product from 40 years ago is still pitched against the very latest products on the market, and some of these products really do stand the test of time. We…
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This month we are turning our eyes to the outside of the aircraft. Usually bright and colorful, these calling cards fill international airports with a myriad of designs. A livery, if designed correctly, can convey the brand experience that takes place inside. Each year, our judges (including some new faces) sort through the best of the best to find out what is hitting the mark and ticking the right…
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By out latest TheDesignAir contributor Zoe Belhomme | The first plane to have flown the world’s longest commercial flight from London to Sydney bid its final farewell to the skies last week before heading to its retirement home at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) in New South Wales. The Qantas Boeing 747-400 made the 15-minute…
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This month we delve into that quiet and revered airport sanctuary! TheDesignAir once again, with strategic print partner Airways magazine bring you the very best Top 10 Airport Lounges in the world 2015. As well as appearing online, they will appear in print in every monthly glossy issue of Airways magazine, available around the world. We are impressed with the…
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The future is here. Qantas has partnered with Samsung Electronics Australia to launch a futuristic trial entertainment service that uses Samsung virtual reality (VR) technology to give customers a spectacular three dimensional experience in a 360 degree style interactive format. Qantas’ clunky yet “Apple generation” stylish headsets will completely envelop customers in an immersive virtual world. Currently the entertainment features the sights and…
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They’re back! TheDesignAir has partnered with our strategic print partner Airways magazine to bring you an updated and regular Top 10 lists for 2015. This year starting with our Top 10 International First Classes 2015. As well as appearing online, they will appear in print in every monthly issue of Airways magazine, available around the world.…
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Qantas have been very busy this year, revealing a whole host of lounges around the world. Qantas has already had a functioning Business Class lounge since June in Los Angeles, but December 2014 launched the all-new Qantas First Class Lounge for customers travelling from Los Angeles’ TBIT terminal. There are some nods to the original flagship…
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Qantas has followed suit of many other airlines over the past few years, unveiling its first ever “retro” inspired livery on one of its brand new Boeing 737 aircraft. The eye catching design is a flying tribute to 70 years of the iconic flying kangaroo logo – a widely recognised symbol of home to millions of intrepid…
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In the past few days, Qantas have announced a wave of improvements both in the front and the back of the aircraft for their passengers comfort. The introduction of refreshed Kate Spade and Jack Spade amenity kits, improved IFE and the upgrade of the economy meals makes for a welcome home in the sky. Qantas have been…
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Although we announced the introduction of this seat almost a year ago today, the final touches have finally been completed and the newest business class seating was showcased today to the media. The Thomson Vantage XL seat has been fully customised to offer Qantas passengers the very best in comfort and technology. In a world…
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Qantas, the day after their inaugural launch of their A380 service to Dallas Fort Worth, announced their brand new Darwin lounge for their premium cabin and valued frequent flyers. The new space is more than double the space of the previous incarnation, which whilst comfortable, wasn’t really anything to write home about. The new space,…
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When Qantas released images of their new lounge in Hong Kong back in April, we wanted to dig a little deeper into the design ethos of the new lounge, brought to us by Sumu Design, an architecture and interior design company based in Australia. We talk exclusively to Felice Carlino, the director of the agency…
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Qantas have been busy over the past few months, opening new lounges around the world. The latest, in LAX’s TBIT terminal, opened yesterday in partnership with their good friends and One World carriers British Airways and Cathay Pacific. The new (and vast) space, designed by Woods Bagot, has been long awaited and compliments the terminal’s other spacious and…
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Our TheDesignAir Top 10 lists have undergone a revamp in 2014, and to aid transparency, our top 10 airlines will now have their rating out of 100 shown, as voted for and calculated by our judging panel. This month we cover our top 10 premium economy classes. With airlines investing more into their new mid-cabin classes, competition is…
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We haven’t covered much on Virgin Australia recently. Our bad. However, we couldn’t help but fall in love with their new Melbourne Lounge that has been open a little over a week. Taking 6 months to renovate the previous lounge space, they have managed to double the size and give the whole venue a slick,…
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This year there have been many new lounges appearing around the world. Each offering a unique level of luxury and identity that has meant a broad and interesting collection of spaces in a variety of spaces. Excellent spaces that didn’t make the list, but should still be commended, include Virgin America’s ‘The Loft‘ in LAX,…
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